Bought new telescope,happy but unhappy

[neversommer (Pascal)]

Hello dear space freaks

Well I hope this aint to bad for a newcomer but greet everyone but I have a question and was hoping for some help !

I bought 1 week ago over the crazy sales.com.au website a telescope with 117mm aperture size and 900mm focal length,the brand is unknown but the telescope was cheap for a 99AUD. Brand name is foco.
Well after a few days on friday I have received my 2nd telescope(first one was a standard one,years and years ago)now i have my first biig one

well I mounted everything togheter on friday and gave it a first shoot..I was able to see the craters of the moon up very close with 3 lenses with are a 20mm a 12.5mm and a 4mm and 2 erecting eyepieces of 1.5 times and 3 times...

Now very happy with the results of the moon it is very difficult to have the telescope in focus of the planet as moving the telescope is with my hand up and down or left and right and when i wanna fix it in place it is moving down a bit..adjusting the screws making it a bigger problem as it makes it now harder to move up or down..

Now on saturday I wanted to see the venus..but with the movement problem of the up or down it doesnt lock in correctly it makes it impossible with my hands to move the telescope always up or down and then when i tighten the screw it moves down a bit and then i loose venus out of sight making it very depressive for me to actually see the planet while I am battling with actually having the telescope setup for viewing the venus.

Any thing that anyone can help me with this?I just wanna view the venus..I had the venus with my 3x erecting eyepiece and the 12.5mm lens on and was able to see the whole venus but I am always loosing the planet out of sight when I am trying to lock in the Silver long thing the allows me to move the telescope upside down.

Please help!!! Or advise me.

Update

The link is here:

http://www.crazysales.com.au/index.p...ID=489#proName

Its that silver long thing in picture underneath the one from the 3 lenses.
If that helps..

[rmcpb (Rob)]

Welcome to IIS Pascal

Now the nice bit is over we get onto the problem. Basically that mount is going to give you grief forever. I have never got good results from all the ones of that type I have played with. After saying that I have had "better" results when the scope is balanced so you can adjust it easily.

Find yourself a couple of small magnets and put them on the OTA (optical tube assembly) (the tube) one infront of and one behind the pivot point. Move them till the tube is balanced and stays in position with the screw on the silver rod only just working. You then should be able to adjust the up/down movement easily by hand but you will still have a wobbly mount.

Give it a go.

[neversommer (Pascal)]

Hello Rob

Thanks for your reply.

That with the magnets..what sort of magnets do you mean??And where do i have to put them?
I am kinda angry cause I could have spend 100 dollar more on a celestron powerseeker with 127mm but shorter focal length(if that matters)but with a smooth movement system.

Did i buy the wrong one?Is there another way to fix the problem?

Another question is that does the focal length matters of how far you can see?Meaning a longer one equal better or short equal less further?I know the aperture size matters....can I also buy other lenses that would fit my scope or not?If so where can i get those?

I just want to have the telescope focused on venus or jupiter,but its so hard with just the hand..

One big question..I am always standing when looking into the sky..meaning the tripod is set to high..Is it better for me to sit and have the tripod shorter next to my seat??
You guys would answer be that better .

I need some advice in that..cause my back is hurting after trying to focus to the venus for 40 minutes in standing.

Finding jupiter like this is so hard..I am almost crying that I should have spend 100 dollars more and I cant return the telescope

Please advice what I can do about that.

Thank you.

[Ian Robinson]

Lots of us started with similar sizes and types of telescopes .

All you need now is the clouds and rain to bugger off and you'll have heaps of fun - if you don't know how to check the balance of the telescope (tube) , put the heaviest eyepiece and barlow in the focusor and loosen that worthless ALTITUDE "micro" adjustment - if possible and the nob that tightens the yoke's grip on the tube so the tube can move up / down effortlessly , now let go of the tube but keep you hand near , which way does the tube want to swing (up or down ?) .

If it swings up - the centre of balance is too far towards the "bottom" end of the telescope and visa versa. This is easy fixed :
you can hang some sinkers in a lttle bag off the other end to move the centre of gravity nearer the yoke.
or
you can work out the (sinker method) the centre of gravity (balance point) and then unscrew the two yoke points and relocate them either further up or down the tube , will require drilling 4 holes probably - that will fix the problem permanently. Ditch the Micro waste of time gadget.

Stick to powers no more 50x the size in inches of the big mirror. More than that and you are spreading the light out too much and not gaining anything in resolving details (or the max magnification is 2x size in mm)http://starizona.com/acb/basics/equi...ification.aspx

Still with magnifications not more than 150-200x (you know how to work that out ? based on the focal length , the barlow power and the eyepiece "size").
MAG (x power) = telescope focal length x barlow power / eyepiece size .

The 4mm eyepiece will be hard to focus - not much eye relief (set that one aside).
The max I'd use is the 12.5mm eyepiece and the 1.5x barlow === 108x which will give very respectable views of Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, the moon and globulars and open clusters and nebulae.
Not much to see when looking at Venus no matter how big the scope.
The 12.5mm eyepiece and the 3x barlow will give you a very wobbly and faint === 216x and objects will move out of the field of very QUICK !!!


Probably worth while getting a small German Equatorial Mount , a EQ2 or similar for your telescope and ditching that Altitude-Azimuth YOKE style mount and that very wobblely looking tripod ASAP.
You can add a simple RA drive to the EQ2 which will make observing more productive and fun, and permit you to play with some prime focus and piggyback style astrophotography (don't expect too much there with a EQ2).

http://www.pulsar-optical.co.uk/imag...Q2MOUNT261.jpg
an EQ2 is pretty basic but also dirt cheap.

a better option for you will be http://www.pulsar-optical.co.uk/imag...-2MOUNT261.jpg an EQ2-3 or perhaps if want more capability and GOTO and plenty of capacity , a LX75 or a CG5 (both the latter are overkill for your current telescope - but you'll probably upgrade to a bigger telescope in a year or two , and then all you will need to do is buy a dob or APO and tube rings to mount it). If you buy a dob , the you'll have the option of either the dob mount or the GEM on a tripod depending on what you want to view or do .... a good way to go at the start.

You will quickly find that this hobby can rapidly become very expensive and play havoc with the bank balance or credit card balance. Some of us have telescopes and mounts and eyepieces and cameras that are easily worth more than our cars are !!!

If you ask the guys here who live in your city they'll put you in the know as far as local astroclubs and when the next viewing parties are , well worth tagging along , most astronomers love letting people view through their telescope at these events and are more than willing give advise.

Steer clear of places like KMART , TANDY, DICKSMITH , CAMERAHOUSE , CRAZYSALES when buying telescopes , guys in those places know absolutely nothing about telescopes or astronomy .... better off looking up places like BINTEL , ASTRO-OPTICAL , YORK and badgering them with questions - no such thing as a dumb question , get hold of ASTRONOMY and SKY + TELESCOPE (the american version is better I think).

Standing or sitting ?
well I'm little short fat bugger and my overhanging gut when standing for while makes my back sore , so I prefer to sit , not aways possible if viewing stuff that are very high in the sky , when I was younger I always stood and only sat when manually guiding for long exposures at prime focus or doing long exposure wide fields (sometimes up to an hour or even more in one hit .... being very still and avoiding bumping the tripod or telescope or mount is the crucial) , easier if sitting on comfy camp or director's chair.

Lot to be said for tossing a beach sheet or picnic blanket or a ground sheet down with a pillow and observing the night sky wiith a nice pair of binos (hand held) too.... especially if it's a nice dark cloudless night.

[neversommer (Pascal)]

Oh my gosh this is so much information..

Well I have to drill wholes in my telescope..that kinda is bad
First of all is there a australian website which offers such tripod thingies which are also compatible with my unknown telescope?
Dick smith offers atm a celestron Power Seek 127mm Telescope with a smooth tracker,would have that be any better in quality?

I mean I am not fat but leaning on my telescope over the finderscope to actually kinda bring the planet in my crosshair is very difficult and then to lock it in...as it locks in a bit below for what I want it to be.Also I am having back problems with makes it a big unpleasent for me constantly trying to bring the telescope into position without it moving down all the time..I might try tonight sitting if the sky is clear but it wont as it looks like it.

The best bet is if someone is here in perth living who can come over and help me setting this thing up for me....

I have spend 120 aud for it I know i should have spend more but I just want to get it stable..
I mean to put those things on,I dont even know how to do such a thing

I am new to all this,and just want to see jupiter before its to late.

What sort of lenses are enough to see planets in enough size?I was very happy with the 1.5 erecting eyepiece on 12.5mm for the moon which is saw some great details.

I had clear sky those 2 days I was viewing and I have been having so far over 8 mosquite bites on me cause of me trying to focus on jupiter,but since it is such a small dot,with this telescope it is simply impossible.

I need someone to come over maybe or to have a look at it before saturn will hit our sky at the end of our month.

What is the best aussie magazine to buy for charts or for what I need cause I just wanna see some cool nebulas or something and what is the best setting for me to see all this in the sky???I am in the garden so got a nice allround view.

I just wanna get it right.

[Ian Robinson]

Sorry about that ....

Simplest fix - You might be able to get a "clamshell" style tube clamp set for your telescope - you can rotate and move the tube in these .

Or maybe make one from plastic straps (cable ties under tension) and then attach the pivots (liquid nails or Arildite , don't and pointy screws sticking through the clamp plates , defeating the purpose and scratching the tube) to some aluminium plate (which you can get bent to the right radius easy enough), line the tube side of the aluminium plate with contact felt to avoid scratching the tube. Would be cheap as chips to do and might get you out of trouble for a now.

Tripod , need it to be solid - cheapo scopes never ever have good tripods .
Here's a nice one http://www.astrobuysell.com/au/propview.php?view=1041- contact them , they are in WA . A good tripod is an lifelong investment.

If your tube is balanced properly when you point it it should be effortless and it should stay put until you touch it again to move to the next object.


Yes the bigger aperture scope would have been better. More aperture is always better.

[neversommer (Pascal)]

So the Celestron Power Seeker with 127mm aperture size from dick smith for 227aud would have been a better choice then i guess?
Its 10cm bigger in size but the control would have been so much better i think then the one i have now .

[Ian Robinson]

Originally Posted by neversommer

So the Celestron Power Seeker with 127mm aperture size from dick smith for 227aud would have been a better choice then i guess?
Its 10cm bigger in size but the control would have been so much better i think then the one i have now .

Yes. Though the tripod on it is probably still too wobblely. I think it can be motorised too which is a plus.

can see fainter objects, probably better build quality than your no-brand 4.5" in all aspects , better resolving power and near 2x the light gathering ability ..... http://www.ayton.id.au/gary/Science/...olving%20power: will give some more info .

If something goes wrong , Celestron is a good company to deal with and are more likely to help you solve the problem. Crazysales will likely evaporate after Xmas or will probably just fog you off and refuse to help you. (I might be wrong on that).

I'd contect Crazy and tell them you want to return the scope and get a refund , then buy the Celestron , that's what I'd do , return telling them it was a boaght as present or some such or it's not fit for use. There is a cool off period on all retail purchases here and they have to give your money back inside that period (no reason necessary) , no ifs, no buts . If they don't want to - threaten them with the Fair Trading Department in your state - that'll make them come round quick smart.

[neversommer (Pascal)]

I have contacted crazy sales now with wanting a refund,because they have wrongly informed on their website as this:

The metal tripod is featured with slow motion control rod for easy vertical micro adjustment.

There is no such slow motion control,only that metall long piece,which I think is a reason enough for me to return that product.

I really want that celestron now even more..now the question is since the focal length isnt that much better as it is shorter,does that matter?

I think I am gonna buy that celestron this week anyway..I am a bit worried for christmas that everything will get sold out shortly.

I just wanna enjoy my time watchin the sky..but i cant do that like that..

So the celestron is more then ok??

Since you know so much and help so much me which i appreciate...how far you I actually really see with that 127mm celestron??Like as in planets..
And where do i find a good star chart to see which is which start or nebula..??I am a newbie in this and dont just want to watch planets but also nebulas..and the light reflection in my place aint to bad either.

[Big Dave (Dave)]

I had one of these last year, same model too. I tried fixing it; it seemed that I could not focus the eyepiece to the object as it would not rack in enough. I got a hack saw out and cut down the focusser shaft a little! - I ended up giving it to a 'pain in the butt' mate for christmas and got something else. I think it is a coat hanger now.

For a first telescope, in my view you can't beat a Dob unit. I think you get the best bang for you buck and it is simple to setup. Take a look at York or some other brand name dealer - even better look in the telescope trader forums here in IIS and you should get something better for less. I agree with Ian; expecially in this price range the bigger the better - and the more you will resolve. The Celestron you are talking about is not a bad unit for the price, but look second hand and you will get something better. If your interest increases, you will abandon this unit anyway!

I think people often get fustrated with a cheap telescope and give up the hobbie just as quick. Something to consider would be visiting a Astro club, not sure who is in WA but a google search should find. You will find all the people there will give you lots of advise, some conflicting but all valid. You need to really weigh it up.

As far as the star charts go, they are everwhere on the web (i.e. Heavens above or even Sky & Telescope Magazines website), but you should really trackdown a copy of the Sky & Telescope magazine and have a look. They also have a sky chart and observing suggestions.

Regards,
Dave

[Ian Robinson]

Originally Posted by neversommer

I have contacted crazy sales now with wanting a refund,because they have wrongly informed on their website as this:

The metal tripod is featured with slow motion control rod for easy vertical micro adjustment.

There is no such slow motion control,only that metall long piece,which I think is a reason enough for me to return that product.

I really want that celestron now even more..now the question is since the focal length isnt that much better as it is shorter,does that matter?

I think I am gonna buy that celestron this week anyway..I am a bit worried for christmas that everything will get sold out shortly.

I just wanna enjoy my time watchin the sky..but i cant do that like that..

So the celestron is more then ok??

Since you know so much and help so much me which i appreciate...how far you I actually really see with that 127mm celestron??Like as in planets..
And where do i find a good star chart to see which is which start or nebula..??I am a newbie in this and dont just want to watch planets but also nebulas..and the light reflection in my place aint to bad either.

Wize ,

here are the specs :
SPECIFICATIONS:
OPTICAL DESIGN: Newtonian Reflector
APERTURE: 127 mm (5 in)
FOCAL LENGTH: 1000 mm (39.37 in)
FOCAL RATIO: 7.87
EYEPIECE 1: 20 mm (0.79 in)
MAGNIFICATION 1: 50 x
EYEPIECE 2: 4 mm (0.16 in)
MAGNIFICATION 2: 250 x
BARLOW LENS: 3 x
FINDERSCOPE: 5x24
MOUNT: German Equatorial
TRIPOD: Aluminum
ACCESSORY TRAY: No-Tool Tray w/ Eyepiece holder
CD ROM: The Sky Level 1
WEIGHT: 17 lb (7.71 kg)
LIMITING STELLAR MAGNITUDE: 13
RESOLUTION: 1.09 arc seconds
RESOLVING POWER: 0.91 arc seconds
PHOTOGRAPHIC RESOLUTION: 254 line/mm
LIGHT GATHERING POWER: 329 x
ANGULAR FIELD OF VIEW: 0.8 °
LINEAR FIELD OF VIEW (@1000 YDS): 43 ft (13.11 m)
OPTICAL COATINGS: Aluminum
SECONDARY MIRROR OBSTRUCTION: 1.6 in (40.64 mm)
SECONDARY MIRROR OBSTRUCTION BY AREA: 10 % SECONDARY MIRROR OBSTRUCTION BY DIAMETER: 32 %
OPTICAL TUBE LENGTH: 20 in (508 mm)
TELESCOPE WEIGHT: 17 lb (7.71 kg)
Warranty (years) 2 years
from

if it's the same scope as PowerSeeker 127 EQ - 21049 , it's f no is about the same as your existing scope .
ie
Aperture: 114mm(4.5")
Focal Length: 900mm,f/8
Finderscope: 6X30
Metal Tripod with Slow Motion Control Rod for Easy Vertical Micro Adjustment
Maximum Height: 125cm

Finderscope on the scope you have bigger , but finderscopes are cheap and easy to upgrade and there are plenty of them for sale second hand up to 50mm aperture if you know where to look (there's a fellow in Las Vagis who sells that kind of stuff at very reasonable prices).
But the Celestron is bigger aperture (++) and equatorially mounted , has slow mos both axes , and you I think still get RA motor drives for it (part no 93522 ??? I think).

How far can you see with = infinity (well you can see galaxies with it , some anyway).

A CD that generates star charts comes with it ++ a good starter , print your own charts (as screen dumps to your wordprocessing program - if The Sky Level 1 wont print hardcopies - never used it personally - I use Guide V8 to do that.

At f/8 should be relatively coma free too.

Planets - I was able to view all the planets except pluto with my vernerable old Tasco 60mm Achromat , so no problem so long as you know where to point the scope.


Resolution will be slightly better too - more visible detail.

There are tips here at IIS on getting a reasonable polar alignment of GEMs , OK for visual observing .


Have fun - stacks to things to view this time of year.

[bmitchell82 (Brendan)]

as everybody in this forum indicates we should run a Prime time TV add that follows something like RSPCA...

ISS SAYS NO TO DEPARTMENT STORE TELESCOPES...
with the voice over man talking... Every year thousands of dollars are worthessly expended on poor coat hangers and they end up being neglected, and outcast then it pans to the sobbing man in the corner.... all i wanted to do is look at the stars like Newton did, but i couldent.... sob sob .. ect ect

This is something that i beg of you, Dont get a GEM for a start get a Dobsonian learn the sky and what your looking at and then move into the Gem they are quite tricky to learn if your learning everything all at the same time! Plus the money in the optics is like savings in the bank! It pays dividends!

[Ian Robinson]

Originally Posted by Big Dave

I had one of these last year, same model too. I tried fixing it; it seemed that I could not focus the eyepiece to the object as it would not rack in enough. I got a hack saw out and cut down the focusser shaft a little! - I ended up giving it to a 'pain in the butt' mate for christmas and got something else. I think it is a coat hanger now.

For a first telescope, in my view you can't beat a Dob unit. I think you get the best bang for you buck and it is simple to setup. Take a look at York or some other brand name dealer - even better look in the telescope trader forums here in IIS and you should get something better for less. I agree with Ian; expecially in this price range the bigger the better - and the more you will resolve. The Celestron you are talking about is not a bad unit for the price, but look second hand and you will get something better. If your interest increases, you will abandon this unit anyway!

I think people often get fustrated with a cheap telescope and give up the hobbie just as quick. Something to consider would be visiting a Astro club, not sure who is in WA but a google search should find. You will find all the people there will give you lots of advise, some conflicting but all valid. You need to really weigh it up.

As far as the star charts go, they are everwhere on the web (i.e. Heavens above or even Sky & Telescope Magazines website), but you should really trackdown a copy of the Sky & Telescope magazine and have a look. They also have a sky chart and observing suggestions.

Regards,
Dave

I remember that thread - maybe you lucked out on yours . should have been easy rectified by simply moving the main mirror a tad closer to the secondary rather than mutulating the focusor. There all metal and cheap 1.25 low profile helical focusors available too which would have probably been another cheap fix , or Vega 1 (1.25") R&P focusors too (lower profile that the stock focusor you had).

I recommend he ask to test it at the shop by pointing the assembled scope at a distant object (at least 1 mile away and attempting to focus it with its supplied eyepieces and also the barlow in place (both again)). If you can't get it to focus - moving the mirror cell closer can't be big deal if you are handy , or don't want to upgrade the focusor to a low profile helical or better qual r&p , else say no thanks and buy something else or walk out of the shop (leaving the scope there).

He's not got a real lot of time to place an order if buying mail / phone / internet order from interstate and want's something in hand before Xmas.

There's a couple specialist telescope shops in Perth aren't there ? York and that guy that also sells second hand stuff -(can't recall his company name now ).
The fellows at Astro-Optical (Sydney) are good and helpful. I got a super deal off them on my Vixen New Atlux .
I think you can also order directly from Tasco Australia too now ??

Ya get's what you pay for in telescopes - perfect costs lots of $.

[Ian Robinson]

Originally Posted by bmitchell82

as everybody in this forum indicates we should run a Prime time TV add that follows something like RSPCA...

ISS SAYS NO TO DEPARTMENT STORE TELESCOPES...
with the voice over man talking... Every year thousands of dollars are worthessly expended on poor coat hangers and they end up being neglected, and outcast then it pans to the sobbing man in the corner.... all i wanted to do is look at the stars like Newton did, but i couldent.... sob sob .. ect ect

This is something that i beg of you, Dont get a GEM for a start get a Dobsonian learn the sky and what your looking at and then move into the Gem they are quite tricky to learn if your learning everything all at the same time! Plus the money in the optics is like savings in the bank! It pays dividends!

This one's not GOTO , he'll still have to learn his way about the sky - the old fashioned way like I did many many many many many ..... many moons ago when I was a rascal. I can't comment on the setting circles (how good a guide they will be to him) on that GEM either , if he get into the ball park once he susses out the mysteries of manual setting circles reading and use in aiming telescopes that is , at low power and sees his target he'll be doing OK. Most us didn't bother mucking about reading the setting circle and "star hopped" about the sky in small increments to locate those faint fuzzies and faint stars. That's what I usually did , unless I knew the RA and Dec offset then I used the slow mos to pan to the object's neighbourhood and then referred to a good finder chart to get a fix and a lock.

Pitfalls with starter el-cheapo dobs too and no slow mos to help with tracking while viewing . But he might manage to get a 6" dob if he hunts about for about the same price. Not sure where in Australia though he'll score that (unless it's old stock).

[bmitchell82 (Brendan)]

ahhh but it grounds you and your friends don't think your a twit when you can tell them whats up in the sky!

[Ian Robinson]

Spotted this (when I went looking) http://www.yorkoptical.com.au/Produc...%2cProductName .

comes with a 5 yr warrantee (not too shabby).
Specs
Barrel Diameter (mm) 50mm/31.7mm Eyepieces (fl mm) S20 and S10 (31.7mm) Finderscope 6x 30 Focal length (mm) 1200mm Focal Ratio f/8 Focus system Rack and Pinion Highest Practical Power 300x Limiting Magnitude 13 Motor Drive / Controller No Mount Type Dobsonian Objective lens (mm) 150mm (6") Optical Design Newtonian Shipping Weight / pc (grams) 18,000 Supplier Model Number SW580 Total Weight (grams) 18,000
(I am pretty amused that that they say "objective lens (mm) ?!?= 150mm (doesn't inspire a lot of confidence for me)).

So he has another option as York have both scopes at pretty much the same price on their site , but NO star chart software with the 6" dob , and no slow mos. The dob has a 2" r&p , which will be better than a 1.25" r&p, and it is bigger by an 1" (which is always better) , but no barlow (which will limit him), and the base of the rocker box will be cheap stuff (particle board ? - bad news if it gets wet often on damp dewy grass unless it's kitchen or wet area grade MDF) ..... probably managed to confuse the poor guy even more now. Sorry.

[neversommer (Pascal)]

Well...uhm..that skywatcher ..I am not quite sure but that thing looks more like a cannon from the pirate ships then a telescope if you ask me..and yes i am getting confused..someone tells me to buy another scope and now i am getting a telescope and a plastic moving thing without slowmo and I am back at scratch..

I saw this 2 telescopes on ebay...one with a 150mm and one with a 203mm...

here;

The 150mm one;

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NEW-150mm-x-1400-EQUATORIAN-EQ-ASTRONOMICAL-TELESCOPE_W0QQitemZ110320738168QQcm dZViewItemQQptZAU_Cameras_Telescope s_Binoculars?hash=item110320738168& _trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3 A2|65%3A1|39%3A1|240%3A1308

and now the 203mm one.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Astronomical-203mm-Newtonian-Reflector-Telescope-Tripod_W0QQitemZ370127160111QQcmdZV iewItemQQptZAU_Cameras_Telescopes_B inoculars?hash=item370127160111&_tr ksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2| 65%3A1|39%3A1|240%3A1318


I am not sure how good they are but sure they are bigger then the one in dick smith..

I will see what to do next but I wanted the 203mm few weeks back but lost the bid on it..even the 150mm would do a nice job I would say.

I am not the expert but..

What ya all think??

[Ian Robinson]

Originally Posted by neversommer

Well...uhm..that skywatcher ..I am not quite sure but that thing looks more like a cannon from the pirate ships then a telescope if you ask me..and yes i am getting confused..someone tells me to buy another scope and now i am getting a telescope and a plastic moving thing without slowmo and I am back at scratch..

I saw this 2 telescopes on ebay...one with a 150mm and one with a 203mm...

here;

The 150mm one;

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NEW-150mm-x-1400-EQUATORIAN-EQ-ASTRONOMICAL-TELESCOPE_W0QQitemZ110320738168QQcm dZViewItemQQptZAU_Cameras_Telescope s_Binoculars?hash=item110320738168& _trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3 A2|65%3A1|39%3A1|240%3A1308

and now the 203mm one.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Astronomical-203mm-Newtonian-Reflector-Telescope-Tripod_W0QQitemZ370127160111QQcmdZV iewItemQQptZAU_Cameras_Telescopes_B inoculars?hash=item370127160111&_tr ksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2| 65%3A1|39%3A1|240%3A1318


I am not sure how good they are but sure they are bigger then the one in dick smith..

I will see what to do next but I wanted the 203mm few weeks back but lost the bid on it..even the 150mm would do a nice job I would say.

I am not the expert but..

What ya all think??

2nd one :

8" aperture !!! cf 5" and 6" ..... BETTER !!!! by a long shot
Better tripod (steel tubular legs would be better !!!).
Proper spider .
Looks like a better GEM but may be undersized a tad for this telescope.
Looks like it comes with a polar alignment scope (I'd check that .... very handly to have if you ever want to do long exposure astrophotography !!)
No mention of motor drive avail for RA axis (and Dec axis) , don't know what Brand the scope is .... I'd ask them about that and the brand and part numbers before paying.
Price is pretty cheap.
Plossyls as opposed to el-cheapo Huygens

Cons

I can't see a brand anywhere on the GEM or the OTA --- ?!?
VERY SHORT WARANTEE !!!! ONLY 90 DAYS , longer is better.
1.25" focusor not a 2" - easy fixed.
GEM undersized ? more important for astrophotography , providing you balance the scope very very carefully you'll get away with it for visual stuff. (Might be a SKY VIEW GEM ??? , looks like one or a clone http://www.telescope-service.com/mou...skyviewbig.jpg )

If you can't find out the brand and model of the GEM it is likely to be a real pain in the butt getting drive motors for the RA (and DEC) axis later unless the worm gear pitches are a common MEADE , CELESTRON , SKYWATCHER or VIXEN equivalent configeration. Been down that road with a couple of my older undriven GEMs (an old TASCO GEM).

Not keen on the finderscope size and alignment setup - a 50mm finder would be better - easy fixed by buying one later. Finderscopes with one set of alignment screws are guaranteed to drive you cazy trying to keep them aligned with the mainscope !!!


Kinda - f/4 , well my 10" is f/4.7 , I prefer faster Newts personnally ==> BUT you will see coma (star around outside out edge of field view will look funny - like mini comets without a corrector special lens - a coma corrector / field flattener will be needed to get the best out of the fast primary mirror - all fast Newts do this.
BUT Coma Correctors pretty much only made 2" OD , Coma Correctors are pricey (I know I have 3 of them - a Tele Vue Visual (tuneable top) , a Baader MFCC (photographic set), and a Lumicon CCFF attached to my Offaxis Guider. They each cost me more $300. BUT I REALLY HATE COMA AND CURVED FOCAL PLANES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No Barlow lens supplied - easy fixed (can get these lots of places).

No astrochart software - as a freeby. Not a big deal (plenty of places to buy these.)

Not buying from anyone who knows anything about telescopes or astronomy if you buy it .... this would be a worry (to me and I wouldn't , but that's just me).

I'd query them by phone on the motor drive avails , and brand before bidding and check out prices by phone on "similar" scopes at
Astro Optical http://www.astro-optical.com.au/,
York Optical http://www.yorkoptical.com.au/Produc...st,ProductName,
Tasco Australia http://www.telescopeshop.com.au/,
and BinTel (Binocular and Telescope Ship) http://www.bintel.com.au/

prior to bidding and keep my max bid under these prices.

[neversommer (Pascal)]

Well the one for 199 looks good but with the barlow lenses not included and to buy those and the shipping it will just cost me a lot of money..the shipping itself is 60 dollars and then the lenses not sure..can i buy just any barlow lense?

By the way i was sitting last night instead of standing and I adjusted the telescope a bit and did a bit on the screws on it and got it now a bit more stable,had a bit more stable view of the moon and wow i was impressed of how cool it looks..

About the return they stil havent contacted me yet of the return and I am sure they wont anytime soon.
A 203 mm sounds for sure good but the brand is again unknown,and the slow mo controller does not look to go to me..but i am a noob so I dont know..The 150mm sounds a bit better even from the brand ?

The specs:
Reflector, 1400mm focal length, f/9
150mm (6") concave main mirror, hard-coated
Black aluminium main tube
Use of standard 31.7mm (1.25") accessories for easy upgrade and ease of obtaining accs
EQ mount with declination circle, latitude scale and hour circle
12M visual magnitude, 0.93" resolving power, 25 brightness on PL6.5mm 56x
Max 420X magnification with supplied accessories
6x30 sighting scope
Rack and pinion focus system
Electric motor drive adaptable


Are not that bad???Or I just go with celestron because both brands are unknown..where do i get the service then from?

and to buy additonal lenses and barlow lenses...can i buy any and does that fit my telescope?Is that universal?

Thanks so much for your input you giving me good advice

[Ian Robinson]

Originally Posted by neversommer

Well the one for 199 looks good but with the barlow lenses not included and to buy those and the shipping it will just cost me a lot of money..the shipping itself is 60 dollars and then the lenses not sure..can i buy just any barlow lense?

By the way i was sitting last night instead of standing and I adjusted the telescope a bit and did a bit on the screws on it and got it now a bit more stable,had a bit more stable view of the moon and wow i was impressed of how cool it looks..

About the return they stil havent contacted me yet of the return and I am sure they wont anytime soon.
A 203 mm sounds for sure good but the brand is again unknown,and the slow mo controller does not look to go to me..but i am a noob so I dont know..The 150mm sounds a bit better even from the brand ?

The specs:
Reflector, 1400mm focal length, f/9
150mm (6") concave main mirror, hard-coated
Black aluminium main tube
Use of standard 31.7mm (1.25") accessories for easy upgrade and ease of obtaining accs
EQ mount with declination circle, latitude scale and hour circle
12M visual magnitude, 0.93" resolving power, 25 brightness on PL6.5mm 56x
Max 420X magnification with supplied accessories
6x30 sighting scope
Rack and pinion focus system
Electric motor drive adaptable


Are not that bad???Or I just go with celestron because both brands are unknown..where do i get the service then from?

and to buy additonal lenses and barlow lenses...can i buy any and does that fit my telescope?Is that universal?

Thanks so much for your input you giving me good advice

Yes - a lots of places will be only to happy sell you a barlow lens and eyepieces (the range available is incredible !!!!) and post them to you. Check the 4 biggies (I gave links).

Gotta pester them by phone , they'll blow you off by email - remember that they have your money now and will not be happy about reversing the transaction .

The non-specialist stores might be a very big problem if you want something fixed even under warantee. Could involve shipping the scope or GEM back to somewhere like China to the manufacturer as the e-store owner knows absolutely nothing.

Gotta really do your homework before buying telescopes and GEMs etc ....

How much did the 8" f/4 EQ go for when you were outbid ? ..(something just under that is your guide max bid so long as it is under the prices of similar scopes from the specialist shops) .. it could be a very fine instrument and mount and more than adequate for your initial needs before you follow us old hands and diehards down the slippery slope into obsessions and perpetual brokeness and sleep deprevation.